Mark Doty: The Poet and the Person

Last spring, while visiting Earlham College, I had my first encounter with Mark Doty. I found myself sitting in their theater for convocation and, after being introduced, this really gentle looking guy with blue eyes came out and started sharing his poetry with us. As I've stated before, I never really "got" poetry, but coming out of his mouth, the poetry actually made sense to me! It was anecdotal; I learned his story as he read, and I enjoyed the little light, funny stories he recounted through verse. It was clear he had been through a lot and was still hurting, but there was a softness about him and beauty in his words.
On the way to the airport, I was telling the admissions councilor how much I liked hearing Mark Doty speak. I didn't realize at the time what a well-known poet he is. A few days after I arrived home I received a book and a note in the mail: "Hi Maddie!... Here is the Mark Doty book (Fire to Fire)... Perhaps you will 'hear' his voice as you read his work."
A year later, I have finally found an excuse to learn more about Doty and read his first collection of poetry, Turtle, Swan. I have indeed been able to hear his voice as I have read his poetry, and I've also learned a lot about his life through reading Turtle Swan and other information on the internet. My next three posts are papers I wrote for class, and I'm sorry if they overlap quite dramatically. One is a biography and the others focus and two poems of his I've really liked. There is no distinct line of where his personal life ends and his poetry begins, so I have really enjoyed getting to know Mark Doty: the poet and the person!

Image found:
http://www.robwilliams.org/2008/11/21/mark-doty-wins-national-book-award-for-poetry/